Dream of Playing 100 Holes in a Day? Here’s a Good Reason to Do It

Ryan McGuire, a kindergartner who’d lost a classmate to cancer, made national headlines when he played 100 holes in one day on a par-3 course, raising $40,000 for pediatric cancer research along the way.

On Friday, June 17, Juniper Hill Golf Course, a 36-hole facility in Northboro, Mass., will host the 8th annual Golf Marathon, a charitable-driven day of camaraderie, food and all the golf that you can eat.

Over the course of the dawn-to-dusk event, a field of around 50 golfers will each be sponsored to play 100 holes of golf in a fundraiser organized by Golf Fights Cancer. The proceeds -- expected to be in excess of $250,000 -- will go toward the Joe Andruzzi Foundation, which provides financial assistance to cancer patients and their families, so that they can focus on recovery, not bills.

Golf Fights Cancer, which was founded in 2004, donates to a range of cancer-related charities and research organizations. It launched the Golf Marathon in 2008. In each of its installments, the event has given rise to inspiring stories. Last year, Ryan McGuire, a Boston-area kindergartner who’d lost a friend and classmate to cancer, made national headlines when he played 100 holes in one day on a par-3 course, raising $40,000 for pediatric cancer research along the way.

This year’s field at Juniper Hill will include David Hovey, a 25-year-old who is undergoing treatment for stage-four brain cancer. Hovey will head to the course straight from his latest round of chemotherapy.

“The camaraderie you see is probably the most beautiful part of this event,” says Golf Fights Cancer executive director Cheryl McGuire. “Everyone out there has been been touched by cancer in one way or another, and they all share stories of what inspired them to play.”

The Golf Marathon will kick off with a 7:15 a.m. shotgun start. The final putts won’t likely drop until early evening. Food and drinks will be provided, and no one will be keeping score. Something more important is on the line.